


Some Things are Worth the Wait

by MaryRoyale



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Multi, Pining Penelope, Slow Build, Triad - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:44:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2480177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryRoyale/pseuds/MaryRoyale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Penelope knew that her hopeless crushes on Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid would never evolve into anything more. She struggled to create her own life and to accept the reality of Morgan and Reid as a couple. After Emily's death, Penelope receives several jarring shocks that force her to reevaluate her life. She chooses to leave the BAU. Due to the nature of her work she doesn't come in contact with the BAU again for five years. When she comes back into contact with her former friends there are surprises for everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Endings and Beginnings

When it rains it pours. It was a phrase her mother had uttered a million times in her childhood--when several bad things all happened at once. Penelope had never really understood what her mother meant until she’d grown older and then she had wished that she could remain ignorant forever. For a long time she had closed herself off from people because it was better that she be isolated than that she be hurt. Shane thought that he knew her, but he had only ever scratched through the outer layers. He’d never really known Penelope. 

At the BAU, Penelope had finally allowed the team to see her. The surprise had been when they had accepted her, quirks and all. It had been a startling realization to discover that they were family. JJ and Emily were the sisters that Penelope had always longed for as a child. Hotch and Rossi were semi-paternal figures that Penelope respected and admired far more than her real father. Then there were Morgan and Reid... 

God, Morgan and Reid. 

Derek was one of her best friends. He was beautiful, charming, caring, intelligent, sweet... he was a truly good man. Their teasing, flirting banter was their way of dealing with the brutality and evil that they had to deal with in their job--rather like the gallows humor employed by doctors to counteract the horror they dealt with in trauma units. Derek listened to her, really listened, and he gave credence to what she had to say. They hung out with one another, watched movies together. Derek had even taught her how to strip a cabinet and re-stain it. They had a give and take that complimented each person’s strengths. Their relationship reminded her a lot of her mother’s relationship with her stepfather. 

Reid was her other best friend. Both of them were geniuses, and both enjoyed being around someone who could challenge them intellectually. It wasn’t that the rest of the BAU wasn’t filled with intelligent people because all of them were at the top in all of their testing. It was just that Penelope and Reid weren’t even on the same tier. Penelope was used to people dismissing her as a geek, or ‘the tech girl’. Few realized the sheer intellect and skill required to write all of the programming she did. Reid had been the only one at the FBI to realize that the only reason they had ever caught the Black Queen was that she had let them. She thought it was interesting that the two smartest people she knew liked to spend their time watching Dr. Who marathons. It also didn’t hurt that Spencer was beautiful in his own way, which was completely different from Derek. Spencer was tall and slender and, as Derek had noted more than once, pretty. He had a grace and strength to his form that most people couldn’t see because they had dismissed him as ‘gangly’ or ‘awkward’. If Spencer were uncomfortable he could become awkward, but if he were in his own element Spencer was almost poetic in his movement. 

For a couple years Penelope had harbored secret crushes on both men. It was impossible--she knew it was impossible--so she tried to ignore it. The idea that either man would ever look at her with anything more than fond affection. She had dated Kevin Lynch in a desperate maneuver to prove to herself and everyone else how very much she didn’t want either man. That had backfired in a spectacularly awful way when Derek and Spencer started dating. It had started out tentatively with each man slowly feeling out his way. For Penelope it had been a special sort of torture. 

When Kevin had proposed she had panicked. She wasn’t proud of it--she was willing to admit that. Then Kevin had done his level best to make her jealous with a string of women. Penelope had wanted so badly to roll her eyes, but she resisted. Then had come the Sci-Fi convention. Penelope still wanted to die from shame whenever she thought about that day.

“I can’t believe that he brought someone else,” she had fumed. 

Reid frowned at her. “You brought someone else,” he pointed out. 

Penelope sputtered for a moment mentally and her lips spoke without her permission. “Someone I couldn’t possibly be sexually attracted to,” she had blurted out. Oh god. What a ridiculous whopper. He’s going to know I’m lying. Oh god. He’s going to know I’m lying. I am so screwed. 

Reid’s face twisted slightly and his voice sounded odd when he replied. “You’re welcome?”

Penelope hurried ahead of him--terrified that at any moment he would call her on her horrendous lie. 

But he didn’t. Reid believed her when she lied through her teeth, and after that day he began to treat her differently. There was a stiff politeness, a formality, to the way he spoke to her that had quite a few eyebrows raised at the BAU. JJ and Emily had both pulled her aside and had demanded to know what she had done to Reid. Morgan was a little cool to her as well. Penelope was miserable, but there was no way for her to explain her way out of the whole mess. 

 

/\/\/\/\

 

Emily was dead. Every time someone died, every time someone left her, it did something to Penelope’s soul. Emily dying was almost as bad as when her mother and stepfather had died. Penelope was heartbroken and she spent several days doing nothing but cry. She knew that everyone at the BAU was upset, and when she was there she tried to be strong and comforting for her friends. At home, she was able to fall apart without worrying about anyone else. Penelope curled up on the couch and hugged a pillow to her chest. 

When the phone rang Penelope had ignored it for as long as possible, but eventually she sighed and picked it up. 

“Garcia residence,” she sniffled into the phone. 

“Penelope?” 

Penelope froze and her hand tightened convulsively on the phone. “Rutherford?” She asked stiffly. 

“Yes,” her brother replied. “Listen Penelope, something has happened. We need you to come home.”

“Absolutely not,” she retorted. 

“It’s about Winthrop,” Rutherford told her. 

Penelope’s heart leapt in her chest. She was the youngest of her family and the only girl. She supposed that was why her father allowed her mother to take her when they separated. Penelope had had almost no contact with them since then, except for her brother Winthrop. He was the youngest of her four brothers and the closest to Penelope in age. After her mother and stepfather had died he had tried to communicate with her. He was a bit of a rebel himself and he was constantly skating the thin line of being disowned by their father. 

“What about Winthrop?” She demanded. 

Rutherford was silent for several minutes. “There was an accident,” he began slowly. 

“No,” Penelope whispered. 

“I’m sorry, Penelope,” Rutherford murmured. There was a heavy sigh through the phone. “Look, this would be so much easier if you would just come home. There are things we need to discuss.”

“I can’t,” Penelope argued. “There are things here that require my attention.”

“Pen.” Rutherford hadn’t called her that in twenty years. 

“Ford,” Penelope sighed. “There’s a lot going on here at the moment.”

“One week, Pen,” Rutherford countered. 

“Where?” Penelope asked. 

“The compound,” Rutherford informed her. 

“I’ll be there,” she agreed reluctantly. 

Just when Penelope was fairly certain that her week couldn’t possibly get any worse than it already had... it did. 

One of the things that had comforted her about Morgan and Reid being Morgan and Reid was that it was safe. Penelope could tell herself that there was nothing that she could do to make the situation turn out any differently. If she was prettier, or if she was thinner, or if she were less her it wouldn’t change anything. She was a woman, and Reid and Morgan obviously didn’t want that. They wanted one another. She didn’t have to watch Morgan sleep his way through beautiful, skinny, model-like women. She didn’t have to watch pretty starlets hit on Reid. She didn’t have to see any of that and wish with all her heart that she were different. 

When a case broke and no one could get ahold of Morgan or Reid, Penelope had offered to go check on both men and bring them in. Hotch had agreed readily and Penelope had headed out in Esther to track down both men. Reid’s apartment was dark and he didn’t answer his door despite her pounding on it and calling through the door.

“Hey!” A little old man with a ridiculous toupee was glaring at her from across the hall. “Do you know what time it is?” 

Penelope glanced at her phone. “Um, 4 a.m.?” She offered with a weak smile. 

The little old man put his hands on his hips. “You have three seconds to leave or I’m calling the cops.” 

Penelope blanched. “Sorry! I’m so sorry. Look, I’m leaving right now. Okay?” She fled the hall and practically ran back to Esther. She slid in to her seat and sighed. “Well, that was an amazing failure. I guess it’s Morgan’s house.”

At least Morgan’s house had both Morgan’s and Reid’s cars parked in the drive. Penelope tried knocking, but no one answered. She sighed and hunted for the spare that Morgan had given her years ago. It was in the very bottom of her purse. She slid it into the lock and turned the knob. 

“Morgan? Reid?” Penelope called out. “Guys? I’m sorry to bother you but we’ve got a case. Hotch and JJ have already tried calling you.” Penelope wasn’t sure why she was keeping up the running dialogue, but it felt right. The last thing she wanted to do was startle two trained FBI agents. She had a fair idea that startling either man would be a bad idea. 

A soft noise, so muffled that Penelope almost didn’t hear it alerted her to their presence. She moved forward eagerly. Later, Penelope would remember that the room she’d headed toward was the guest bedroom that Morgan always referred to as hers. Somehow that just made it all worse. 

The rest of that night/morning passed in a hazy blur that Penelope was never able to recall with any sort of clarity. She saw more of Reid and Morgan than she had ever seen before, but sandwiched between them was a buxom blonde with purple streaks in her hair. Penelope’s jaw dropped open and she stared at the scene before her. Blinding jealousy hit her in the gut and she almost staggered with the pain of it.

“Penelope!” Spence squeaked and almost fell over in his haste to move and cover himself. 

“Baby Girl,” Morgan blurted out. 

The buxom blonde eyed her curiously. “Hi,” she said politely, but made no move to cover herself. “I’m Candy.” 

Penelope blinked. Of course she was. “We’ve got a case,” she told “Candy”--refusing to look at either Spencer or Morgan. “Hotch and JJ tried to call you, but you didn’t pick up. I, um, I volunteered to come check on you.” She paused fighting the urge to make eye contact with Spencer and Derek. “I’ll just go back to the BAU,” she muttered before she fled the scene. 

Fighting tears Penelope drove Esther back to FBI Headquarters. Spencer and Derek did like women, rather a lot judging from what they had been doing with Candy. They just didn’t like her. She sniffled and tried to focus on the road in front of her. 

“Miss Garcia,” Strauss called as Penelope raced toward the safety of her office. 

“Yes, ma’am?” Penelope turned to face her superior reluctantly. 

“Have you reconsidered my offer?” Strauss asked. 

Penelope grimaced. “Ma’am, I haven’t even looked at it yet. What with... Emily... and then there was my personal leave.” 

Understanding filled Strauss’ eyes. “Oh yes, your brother. I’m sorry, Miss Garcia, I had forgotten about that. Perhaps when you get back?” 

“Yes ma’am,” Penelope agreed immediately. 

Through some truly inspired maneuvering Penelope managed to avoid being alone with Morgan and Reid until the team left. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. Once she was alone, Penelope was willing to admit that she was too emotionally fragile to deal with Morgan or Reid at the moment, but that wasn’t going to matter. By the team got back it would be too late. Penelope would already be headed to the family compound in Vermont. Her chest tightened again and she pressed a hand against her heart. 

 

/\/\/\/\

 

“I don’t understand.” Penelope stared at the family lawyer hoping that he would start making sense. 

Rupert Kingsbury sighed and cast an apologetic glance at the rest of her family before turning back to her. “Winthrop trusted you. I’m sorry, Ford, but we all know that Win wasn’t very happy with the family the last couple of years.”

“What does that mean?” Penelope demanded. She turned to fix a glare on her older brother who had the grace to blush. 

“When Winthrop first brought Monique home... we weren’t quiet about the fact that we didn’t approve,” Rutherford admitted. 

“Because she was black?” Penelope guessed furiously. She turned to glare at her other brothers, Cornelius and Ulysses. “I can’t believe you!”

“No!” Cornelius protested. He shook his head. “No, Pen, it wasn’t about that.”

“Then what was it, Cory?” Pen asked bitterly. 

“Monique didn’t fit in well,” Ford tried to explain. After another furious glare from Penelope he held up his hands defensively. “I mean... she was from a middle-class family. She didn’t understand a lot of Winthrop’s obligations, and she wasn’t quiet about how stupid she thought a lot of them were.”

“She didn’t like the politics,” Penelope guessed. Her brothers nodded. 

“Monique thought the parties and the social functions were idiotic,” Ulysses offered. He sighed. “She was... very rude to Gertie Williams.” 

Gertrude Williams was the president of the local Junior League and wielded an unbelievable amount of power in the area. Penelope unfortunately knew Gertie very well. Much of her childhood had been spent helping out on various fundraising drives with Gertie’s two horrid daughters, Honoria and Eugenie. Penelope pressed her lips together in a thin line. She would be willing to bet that Monique had been pushed to rudeness by Honoria. Gertie’s eldest daughter had made no secret of the fact that she wanted to marry Winthrop someday. She sighed. It wasn’t worth arguing about now. Winthrop and Monique were dead leaving behind a baby. 

“But... surely this can’t be legal,” Penelope protested weakly. 

“Miss Sloane,” Kingsbury began. 

“Garcia,” Penelope snapped. 

Kingsbury winced. “I apologize, Miss Garcia. I meant no slight. However, I can assure you that this is entirely legal.”

“I’m not even married!” Penelope tried again. 

Kingsbury smiled at her. “Marriage isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for parenthood.”

“But,” Penelope tried one last time. 

“Miss Garcia, maybe if you met your nephew?” Rupert Kingsbury suggested finally. 

It only took five minutes. Maybe not even that. Penelope only had to hold William Peregrine Sloane to know that she was going to do exactly what her brother had hoped. Her seven-month old nephew was multi-racial, and it had made her heart ache; she held the tiny baby in her arms and she saw what her babies would look like if Derek had been the father. She swallowed down a sob--refusing to break down in front of her estranged family. Penelope regretted not visiting more often, and getting to know the amazing woman who had agreed to marry Winthrop and who had been William’s mother. 

“If I do this... he’s mine, right?” Penelope had demanded. “I mean, you guys can’t change your minds and try and take him from me?”

“Miss Garcia, Winthrop made sure that this was airtight. If you are willing to sign the paperwork then I’ll begin the adoption process. He’ll be your son.” Rupert Kingsbury paused and the silence grew to an uncomfortable stretch. “There’s the matter of your brother’s request...”

Penelope stared down at her nephew’s innocent, sleeping face and nodded. “I’ll do it,” she whispered. 

Later that evening she picked up her phone and made a call. 

“Strauss? It’s Penelope Garcia. I’m willing to accept the offer, but I have a few conditions.”


	2. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of brief vignettes giving glimpses of Penelope's time away.

**Interlude**

“What do you mean she’s gone?” Morgan demanded.

Erin blinked. It didn’t take a profiler to read the hostility coming off of Agent Morgan in waves. Agent Reid was standing right behind Agent Morgan and he was glaring at her furiously.

“Miss Garcia has received numerous offers during her time here in the BAU,” Erin informed him primly. “She finally accepted one of them.”

The devastation on both men’s faces had been completely unexpected. Erin had expected anger--in fact, she had expected an absolutely livid Aaron Hotchner to show up in her office and give her a blistering lecture about respect and courtesy with regards to his team, but that hadn’t happened yet.

“It’s all our fault,” Agent Reid muttered in a lost voice.

Then Agent Morgan shot her one final glare before he turned to Agent Reid and murmured something comforting.

“Sorry to trouble you, ma’am,” Agent Morgan growled at her before he grabbed Agent Reid’s arm and dragged him off.

If Erin had thought she was persona non grata in the BAU before, that was nothing to how they treated her now. They were so unfailingly polite and courteous that it was painful. Even David had been a little cool to her right after it happened. Still, Miss Garcia’s secrets were hers to keep, especially since she had agreed to work on the special collaborative project in Europe.

* * *

 

“Morgan, what’s wrong?” Emily asked cautiously.The team was just accepting her return and forgiving her for her ‘death’, and she didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize that.

“My mama just called,” Morgan replied with a slight frown. “The neighborhood was worried that they’d close down the youth center. It’s been losing donation money since Buford’s arrest--it’s been tainted by his reputation.”

“That’s too bad,” Emily murmured. She watched Morgan carefully. “So... what happened?”

“Mama said that the youth center just received a huge donation from the Sloane Foundation,” Morgan explained.

Emily could feel her eyebrows rise. “The Sloane Foundation?”

“You know them?” Derek asked.

Emily snorted. “Not exactly, but I’ve heard of them. They make the Rockefellers look poor.”

“So who are they?” Derek demanded.

“An old, disgustingly rich New England family. It’s funny though. They don’t usually pay attention to anything outside of New England. It’s rare for them to donate to something in the Midwest,” Emily told him. “Mother chased after them for ages, but she never managed to get them to attend any of her functions, or donate to any of her causes.”

“So why did they donate a million dollars to an inner-city youth center in Chicago?” Derek asked with a frown.

Emily shrugged. “I have no idea.”

 

* * *

 

“Hello, Mr. Easter,” Penelope said politely. She held out a hand. “I’ve heard so much about you from Emily.”

“Did you now, Miss Sloane?” Clyde asked. He smirked at her and took her hand in his. “All good things, I’m sure.”

Penelope quirked a brow at him. “Informative,” she conceded.

Clyde’s smirk grew. “I think I’m going to enjoy working with you, ma chérie,” he purred.

Penelope pulled her hand back with a tight smile. There was only one man that she allowed to call her pet names and Clyde Easter was not him. “Shall we get started?”

“Of course,” Clyde agreed. He pulled out a sheaf of papers. “You’ll be working with me on several special projects. All of them are collaborative efforts with your government.”

“I understand,” Penelope replied.

“Good.” Clyde grinned at her. “I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship, Miss Sloane.”

Penelope smiled at that. Anyone who could quote _Casablanca_ couldn’t be all bad, could he? She glanced at her phone and gasped. “Oh my goodness! Is that the time? I’m sorry Mr. Easter, I have to go,” Penelope began to babble as she scrambled to grab her things.

“Miss Sloane?” Clyde was surprised. For the entire meeting Penelope had been calm, but now she was almost in a panic.

“I have to go pick up my son,” she explained as she grabbed her bag. “His nanny had an appointment and I forgot all about it. I’m so sorry; normally I’m much more organized.”

“It’s fine, Miss Sloane,” Clyde assured her.

“Thank you!” Penelope called as she took off down the hall.

 

* * *

 

 

“Where do you want to put my coat?” Vivian Cook asked cheerfully.

“In one of the guest bedrooms,” Derek replied absently. He was focused on the final preparations for dinner and didn’t notice the newest agent of the BAU heading toward _her_ room.

“No!” Spencer cried out and flung himself in front of the closed door. “Not this room.” He said firmly. He pointed down the hall. “Use that one. Any of them but this one.”

“I’m sorry,” Vivian managed to get out.

JJ moved across the room to her. “Here, I’ll show you where I put my coat.” She took Vivian’s arm and tugged her toward the guest bedroom that Spencer had indicated.

The rest of the evening was almost boring in contrast. Vivian mingled with her new co-workers and made small talk. Working with the BAU was extremely prestigious, or at least that’s what everyone kept telling her. Not the BAU, of course, they weren’t that arrogant, but everyone else had said so. They had been welcoming, but slightly cool. They were always very polite. Vivian knew that they hadn’t accepted her yet, but she hoped that soon she’d get the chance to prove herself to them.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” JJ asked.

“I suppose,” Vivian admitted. “Could you tell me what that was about earlier?”

JJ stiffened. “That was Penelope’s room,” she murmured after she glanced around.

“Penelope?” Vivian echoed. She kept her voice low instinctively.

“She was our... she was part of our team,” JJ explained. She tugged at her hair. “She was family.”

“What happened to her?” Vivian asked and then bit her lip. As soon as she said it she knew she shouldn’t have done.

“We don’t know,” JJ admitted. At the look of sympathy on Vivian’s face JJ shook her head. “No, not like that. Something... happened... and she transferred out. We haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

“But you aren’t angry with her,” Vivian murmured to herself.

JJ gave her a wry smile. “If you had ever met Penelope you would know why.”

“So she had her own room here?” Vivian wasn’t sure if JJ would be forthcoming with any more information, but it was worth a shot.

JJ shrugged awkwardly. “It’s not really my place to talk about that. I can only say that Penelope’s leaving changed Morgan and Reid and not for the better. If you’re smart you won’t bring Penelope up to either of them. It wouldn’t be a fun conversation for you, and they’d be useless for at least a week.”

“Duly noted,” Vivian replied.

 

* * *

 

 

“Miss Sloane, we need to talk.”

Penelope looked up with a startled expression. “I didn’t do anything,” she protested automatically. “It was just a harmless prank!”

Clyde Easter smirked at his technical analyst. “I am not here to discuss the mysterious flowers which were delivered to Prince William on his birthday. I meant the letters that you’ve been receiving from the States. You have been ignoring them.”

Penelope grimaced. “I don’t care what they have to say. I’m happy here.”

Clyde smiled. “I’m truly pleased to hear that Miss Sloane, but you really need to read those letters. Our project is coming to an end and your government is recalling you.”

All the color drained from Penelope’s face. “What do you mean?” She whispered.

“You’re going back to the FBI,” Clyde explained gently.

“But... I can’t! Per’s school is here. He’s grown up here. I can’t just uproot him,” Penelope protested.

“Peregrine is a bright little lad,” Clyde soothed. “I’m sure that he’ll do well no matter where you go.”

“But,” Penelope tried to protest again.

“Miss Sloane, neither of us has a choice in this,” Clyde warned her. “I’ve got my orders just as you do.” He paused. “Or you would if you’d read the damn letters.”


	3. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The collaborative project is over and Penelope has been transferred back to the States. Her transfer isn't quite as smooth as she had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Here there be children!

“Per-bear? Where are you, my prince?” Penelope called.

William had been Penelope’s father’s name and she had taken to calling her nephew Peregrine out of self-defense. In England, there had been quite a few Williams in little Will’s preschool and kindergarten. To alleviate confusion Penelope had suggested that they call him by his middle name, Peregrine. The relief of the teachers had amused Penelope.

“In here Mummy!” Peregrine called back.

Due to the fact that Penelope had adopted her nephew at seven months old Peregrine had never known any other parent but her. He had called her Mummy almost as soon as he could talk and Penelope had never tried to argue with him. She blamed his choice of moniker on the fact that they were living in England. She also made sure that he knew that he had had a wonderful Mommy and Daddy who loved him very, very much and had wanted the best for him.

“There you are.” Penelope grinned at the sight he made.

Clear hazel eyes peeked out at her from a wooden castle that Rutherford had given Peregrine last Christmas. A high boyish giggle drifted out.

“What are you doing in there, my prince?” Penelope asked.

“Story Mummy!” Peregrine commanded.

“Oooh. A Story? Hmm. How about the Three Little Pigs?” Penelope suggested.

“No! The King and Queen!” Peregrine called from his castle.

Penelope chuckled. That was Peregrine’s favorite. “Of course,” she agreed. She sat down in the comfy rocker. “Once upon a time, there was a noble, valiant King named Winthrop who needed a Queen. He looked high and low. He went to all the balls, but he couldn’t find anyone he liked.”

“They were all mean,” Peregrine added.

Penelope hid a smile. She nodded gravely. “That’s right. King Winthrop wanted someone who was kind. Someone who had a good heart.”

“So he went to a nearby kingdom,” Peregrine reminded her.

“Yes, that’s right. He went to another kingdom where he met someone who was beautiful and kind and very, very smart.” Penelope continued. She narrowed her gaze on her adopted son. “Always pick someone smart, Peregrine.”

“Yes, Mummy,” Peregrine replied. “And then he choosed her to be his Queen.”

“Queen Monique,” Penelope added.

Peregrine nodded happily. “And they had a prince!”

“They did indeed,” Penelope agreed. “The most handsome prince ever.”

“And smart,” Peregrine told her.

Penelope laughed. “Yes, he inherited the Queen’s intelligence.”

Peregrine frowned. “But then their carriage broke,” he said quietly. He climbed out of his castle and moved toward Penelope for reassurance. She gathered him up and pulled him into her lap.

“It did.” Penelope hugged him close and pressed a kiss in his dark curls. “And the King’s sister came to take care of the prince and be his Mummy.”

“The best Mummy in the whole world,” Peregrine declared loyally.

Penelope laughed. “She tries very hard,” she replied with a rueful smile.

“I love you Mummy,” Peregrine told her with a solemn expression.

Penelope blinked away tears. “I love you, too, my prince.” She looked around the room. “So what do you think of your new room? Does it pass muster?”

Peregrine peered around the room and then nodded. “I like it,” he announced.

“Good.” Penelope hugged him again.

It was vaguely suspicious that the Sloane family ‘just happened’ to own this lovely townhouse that was located so close to Quantico, but Rutherford insisted that it had been in the family for at least twenty years. Penelope had just sighed and accepted the keys to the townhouse. There was no use arguing with Rutherford when he decided something. He was almost as bad as their father had been except Rutherford truly cared for his family and tried to do what was right. Now that Winthrop had managed to drag Penelope back into the family fold kicking and screaming Rutherford was doing everything he could to keep her there. Penelope snorted in amusement. Rutherford probably though buying a townhouse was a small sacrifice to keep her close to the family. In fact, the cost of a townhouse in this pricey little cul-de-sac didn’t even register in the family trust. She made a face at that thought.

“Come on, little man. You and I have a lot to get done today,” Penelope informed her son.

 

* * *

 

 

“Can I help you?” The FBI daycare receptionist smiled at Penelope politely.

“Yes, I’m here for an interview with,” Penelope checked her phone, “a Rebecca Forster?”

“And you are?” The receptionist continued to smile.

“Penelope and William Sloane,” Penelope replied.

“Of course,” the receptionist’s smile turned slightly warmer. “If you’ll just wait here I’ll have her come out.”

So far, the care that the FBI took to protect its most vulnerable had impressed Penelope. They had to pass through regular security just to get this far, and it was obvious that there would be further layers one would have to go through to get to Peregrine. That made her breathe a little sigh of relief. This might just work out after all. Then again… the thorough background checks that Penelope had completed on every single person who worked here from the director to the janitor probably had a bit to do with that.

“Mrs. Sloane?” Rebecca Forster stood by the receptionist.

“Miss,” Penelope countered firmly.

“Miss Sloane,” Rebecca corrected herself and smiled at Peregrine. “And you must be William.”

“Per’grine,” Peregrine corrected her.

Rebecca looked to Penelope who blushed slightly. “We were stationed in England,” Penelope began, but Rebecca grinned and held up a hand.

“Say no more. I’ve got a friend who does daycare over there and she complained about that very thing. So he’s used to going by his middle name? We can do that.” Rebecca paused thoughtfully. “In fact, that might work out really well. We’ll know that anyone who comes looking for ‘William’ isn’t really family.”

Penelope nodded. “That’s true. My brothers are pretty active in Peregrine’s life and they all call him Peregrine or Per. They would never call him William.”

“Excellent.” Rebecca glanced at the receptionist. “Tina, please hold my calls for the next half-hour. Miss Sloane, Mr. Sloane, if you’ll please follow me.”

Forster’s office was bright, clean and had a small corner set up with educational toys. Penelope hid a smile as Peregrine made a beeline for them. She sat in the comfortable chair that Rebecca Forster indicated and gave the daycare director her full attention.

“You’re part-time?” Ms. Forster asked.

Penelope grimaced. “For now, yes. Once Peregrine begins first grade then I’ll probably go back to full-time. This has been a big move for us and I want to make sure that he’s settled before I try to uproot his life anymore.”

Ms. Forster nodded. “We understand. You’ll have to give us at least 30 days’ notice before you try to have him here full-time. We only have so many spots and they go quickly.”

“I’ll make sure to do that,” Penelope agreed.

“Now, we also need to discuss who has access to Peregrine. Is his father in the picture?” Ms. Forster asked.

“That’s… complicated,” Penelope replied slowly.

“It always is,” Ms. Forster assured her. “Is he allowed access to your child?”

Penelope bit her lip. “Peregrine is biologically my nephew,” she explained. “My brother and his wife were killed in a car accident and his estate was set up so that I could adopt Peregrine. My other brothers are all listed as emergency contacts.”

“And his biological mother’s family?” Ms. Forster pressed. “Are they allowed access?”

“Monique was an only child,” Penelope continued. “Her father died when she was a child. Her mother died just after Monique married Winthrop.” Penelope gave Ms. Forster a slightly sad smile. “Cancer,” she explained.

Ms. Forster nodded. “So the biological mother’s family is not involved,” she murmured and made a note on Peregrine’s paperwork.

“No,” Penelope agreed.

“Is there anyone else that is allowed to check Peregrine out of the daycare?” Ms. Forster continued.

“No,” Penelope stated firmly. She twisted her hands together. “That… that might change later, but right now it’s just me or my brothers.”

“Understood.”

 

* * *

 

 

“All right, my sweet prince. Are you ready for your first day of daycare?” Penelope asked.

“Ready Mummy,” Peregrine cried as he raced into the front hall. Peregrine had put on his old day school uniform. The little cap and blazer would probably earn him some unusual glances, but if it made her prince happy it was fine with her. He had a leather satchel that his Uncle Cornelius had sent to him when he had started at the prestigious day school in England.

“You know that we’re not going to Beeton’s, right?” Penelope thought it wouldn’t hurt to be sure. Children could get the oddest ideas.

“I know Mummy,” Peregrine agreed. He tugged on his blazer. “I just like it. I won’t get to wear it in the first grade.”

“No, you won’t,” Penelope admitted. “I’m sure whatever school Uncle Rutherford digs up will have some kind of uniform.”

“Let’s go Mummy!” Peregrine cried.

The offices at FBI headquarters hadn’t changed in five years. Penelope showed them her temporary ID and Peregrine proudly handed over his. They went through security and straight to the daycare. Penelope made sure that he was settled and happy before she reported to her new office. She hiked all the way back to reception to figure out where that was, exactly.

“Hello, I’m supposed to be reporting to a Mateo Cruz and I’m not certain where he is located,” Penelope told the man working the reception counter.

“He’s the section chief for the BAU,” the receptionist replied after consulting his computer. “He’s on the—“

“I know what floor it’s on,” Penelope ground out between clenched teeth. Rage washed over her. _How dare they?_ They had a deal, damn it! Strauss had promised that she wouldn’t have to come back to the BAU. Somebody had picked the wrong technical analyst to screw around with—she was not going to go down without a fight.

 

* * *

 

 

The furious click of heels against the ground made everyone in the bullpen look up curiously. Vivian Cook could see an enraged blonde woman marching toward the BAU with a gleam in her eye. Vivian glanced over to JJ to ask if she ought to stop the woman when she realized that the rest of her co-workers were staring at the blonde in shock. Section Chief Cruz opened his office door and walked outside just as the blonde reached the small set of stairs that led to the upper area.

“Section Chief Cruz,” the blonde growled.

Section Chief Cruz blinked at her. “Can I help you?”

The blonde snorted. “Technical Analyst Sloane,” the blonde snapped. Then she gave him a positively feral smile. “If you have a moment I’d like to go over my contract with you.”

Section Chief Cruz flushed. “Oh.”

The smile got even more dangerous. “Did you know that we currently have a collaborative project going on in Antarctica?” She said suddenly in an offhand voice. “They’re having such a hard time finding volunteers,” she added sadly. She shook her head. “It’s such a shame.”

“I have time right now, Technical Analyst Sloane,” Cruz replied and whipped his door open for her.

“Did she just threaten to ship him off to Antarctica?” JJ asked the bullpen with a shocked expression.

“I like her,” Vivian said cheerfully. When everyone turned to stare at her she shrugged. “She’s ballsy. I like that.”

“Sloane?” Morgan muttered under his breath with a look of fierce concentration.

“Who is she?” Vivian asked JJ.

Something flickered in JJ’s eyes. “That was Penelope,” she whispered.

Vivian blinked in surprise and then turned to stare at the section chief’s office. Then she glanced surreptitiously at Agents Morgan and Reid. Morgan was still frowning in concentration like he did when something didn’t quite add up on a case. Dr. Reid… looked stunned. He was sitting there staring off into space with a completely blank expression. He didn’t move until Agent Morgan touched his shoulder gently. Then Dr. Reid jumped guiltily and looked around the bullpen with a worried glance. Vivian turned and focused on her paperwork.

 

* * *

 

 

“I had a deal!” Penelope fumed at Section Chief Cruz.

He held up his hands defensively. “Look Miss Sloane. I have no idea what Strauss promised you. I can tell you that none of it was in writing.”

Penelope glared at him. “Seriously? That’s the best you’ve got? You didn’t get it in writing?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” Cruz protested. He sighed. “Miss Sloane you’re the best there is.”

“I know,” she snapped.

“Please, we need you,” Cruz begged. “They’ve shuffled people around and we’re down three technical analysts. Hotchner’s team deserves more than a trainee.”

Penelope pursed her lips. “Fine,” she said at last. “But as soon as you get more people I want a transfer.”

“Of course,” Cruz agreed immediately.

“I’m not happy about this,” Penelope added.

“No, of course not.” Cruz smiled at her. “We’re very grateful to have you aboard.”

Penelope’s gaze narrowed dangerously. “Temporarily.”

“Yes, of course. Temporarily.” Cruz smiled at her. “Shall we go speak to Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner?”

Penelope paled slightly and lifted her chin. “Sure,” she replied. Her bravado seemed to vanish in an instant and she tried to hide her shaking hands as she followed Cruz to Hotch’s office.

Cruz rapped on Hotch’s door and poked his head. “Do you have a minute, SSA Hotchner?”

Aaron looked up from his paperwork. “Yes sir. What can I do for you?”

Cruz held the door open for Penelope and then followed her in. “We have a Technical Analyst,” Cruz explained. “This is Penelope Sloane.”

Aaron blinked. “Sloane?” He looked to Penelope for confirmation.

“Yes sir,” she replied softly and stared at her feet.

“Do you want your old office? It’s free,” Hotchner offered. He grimaced slightly. “It doesn’t look the same, but I’m sure you’ll fix that.”

Penelope bit her lip. “I’d like that sir.”

Hotchner nodded.

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Cruz announced and then he made his escape.

“Coward,” Penelope muttered after him and then flushed bright red when she realized Hotchner was staring at her.

“You’re willing to yell at your Section Chief, but I intimidate you.” Hotchner observed.

Penelope shrugged. “What does it matter?”

Hotchner tilted his head to the side. “You respect me,” he murmured with wonder in his voice. He nodded toward Cruz’s office. “You don’t know him and you already don’t like him.” Hotchner paused. “He’s not that bad. You should give him a chance Gar—Sloane.”

“I hate profilers,” Penelope muttered.


	4. The Adjustment Period

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope adjusts to being home. The team finds out about Peregrine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose Peregrine's name on purpose. Derek Morgan and Emily Prentiss both love Vonnegut. Prentiss' favorite novel is Mother Night. Morgan's is Slaughterhouse Five. The main character of Slaughterhouse Five is Billy Pilgrim.

“I can’t do this,” Spencer muttered and he stood up and walked out of the bullpen.

Derek stared after him and then turned to JJ. “I’ll be right back,” he muttered.

“Yeah.” JJ nodded and waved a hand toward him. “Go do what you have to do.”

Moving quickly down the hall after his boyfriend Derek managed to catch up to Spencer just outside of a conference room. He opened the door and dragged Spencer into the darkened room without a thought. Spencer was shaking and Derek automatically pulled him into his arms.

“I’m right here,” Derek whispered against his temple. Spencer clung to him, which only hammered home how bad this was. Spencer didn’t do public displays of affection. They made him uncomfortable.

“She hates us,” Spencer muttered into Derek’s neck.

Derek’s gut clenched. He hoped that Spencer was wrong, but it was pretty obvious that his Ba—that Gar—fuck—that Sloane didn’t want to be attached to their team. Spencer had gone over every possible outcome of that fateful night, but Penelope running away from them and not coming back for five years hadn’t even been a consideration. Derek wasn’t even sure what had happened. He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Spencer.

“She doesn’t hate us,” he replied softly and he prayed that it was true.

Spencer pulled back to frown at him. “You can’t possibly know that. You’re hoping.”

Derek grinned and pressed a quick, hard kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. He slid his hand up to cup the back of Spencer’s head in his hand. “I love you,” he told Spencer fondly.

Spencer’s frown deepened. “I love you, too,” he replied. “What does that have to do with… with…” Spencer hadn’t been able to say Penelope’s name in years.

“We can do this,” Derek told him firmly.

“She’s probably married,” Spencer observed with a small scowl. “That’s the number one reason most women change their names. Did you know that according to the US Census of 2010 53% of women—“

“Pretty boy,” Derek interrupted him with another fond smile and another quick kiss. “We can do this. You can do this, I know you can.”

“But what if she is married, Derek?” Spencer demanded.

Jealousy knotted in Derek’s stomach and he frowned. “Maybe they’re divorced,” Derek muttered.“Maybe that’s why she came back?”

“That’s probable,” Spencer agreed and he perked up slightly at the thought. “The statistics for divorce in the US would support it.”

“Come on, we’d better get back before Hotch notices we’re gone,” Derek pointed out.

 

* * *

 

 

“Most of you remember Penelope,” Hotch spoke in that quiet way of his that was more commanding and held more authority than anyone else Penelope had ever met.

“Hi… again.” Penelope gave an awkward wave.

“We’ll let you settle into your office,” Hotch continued with a glance around at his team. He frowned slightly and turned to Penelope. “You may have to requisition equipment.”

Penelope frowned. “If I do then I won’t be much use to anyone until I’m up and running.”

“I’ll have Cruz put a priority on it,” Hotch assured her. He glanced at the rest of the team again. “We’ll give you a couple of days to get everything set up before we call you.”

What Hotchner didn’t say was heard loud and clear. His team was to let Penelope settle back in—they weren’t to bother her until she had her systems back up and running. Everyone nodded. They understood. A slight smile flitted across Hotch’s lips briefly.

“That sounds fine,” Penelope replied. She paused and looked at her feet before she looked up at Hotch. “I don’t know if Cruz told you, but for the moment I’m only part-time. I won’t be able to stay late and for the time being I can’t travel.”

Hotch nodded. “I knew that Technical Analyst Sloane was part-time,” he admitted. He gave another very brief smile. “I just didn’t realize that was you.”

As soon as the short meeting with the team was over Penelope fled to her office. She rubbed her hands on her skirt and tried to breathe deeply. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to help. She couldn’t look at Morgan or Reid for fear that she would stand there staring until everyone knew what an idiot she was. It had been five years, but Penelope couldn’t shake Morgan and Reid. They were hovering in her mind whenever she dealt with anyone else. Her relationship with each man, and the disastrous end of those relationships, had colored her relationships in Europe. She had dated, but each time it had been brief—the longest had been for a year and it had only lasted that long because he was an agent and he had only been in town sporadically. Someone touched Penelope’s arm and she shrieked and jumped in the air.

“Sorry.” JJ grimaced. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Penelope pressed a hand against her chest. “I’m fine,” she panted.

JJ raised an eyebrow. “Right.”

“What did you need?” Penelope asked automatically.

JJ shook her head. “We’re not allowed to bug you. Didn’t you hear Hotch? I came to see if I could help with anything.” JJ paused then. “I missed you.”

“I’m sorry.” Penelope made a vague gesture. “For not telling you.”

“You didn’t have a lot of forewarning,” JJ defended her.

Penelope blinked at that. “I didn’t,” she admitted. She sighed and leaned against one of the counters. “It all happened so fast.”

“Emily had to fake-die,” JJ added. She shrugged. “At least you didn’t do that. That would probably have killed Morgan and Reid.”

There it was. The giant elephants in the room that Penelope had hoped to avoid.

“I don’t think—“ Penelope began tightly, but JJ held up a hand.

“Not my business,” JJ told her in a firm voice. Then she gave Penelope a hesitant smile. “I’m just glad you’re back. And… if you need an ear I’m willing to listen.”

“Thank you.” Penelope nodded. She bit her lip. “I can’t right now, but I’ll remember the offer.”

“I understand,” JJ replied.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Days passed and then a week passed. Penelope was back. Every morning Derek got up and part way through getting ready for work he would remember that Penelope was back. They hadn’t really spoken yet beyond ‘I have the information you requested Agent Morgan’, but even if he got the chance to speak to her he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. _Sorry you caught me in bed with a substitute for you?_ He grimaced at himself in the bathroom mirror. He didn’t think that would go over well.

“You’re thinking about her again.” It wasn’t a question. Spencer knew exactly what he was doing because he did the same thing.

“I haven’t spoken to her yet,” Derek explained.

Spencer picked at his shirt. “What would we say to her?”

“I don’t know,” Derek admitted. He sighed. “That’s kind of the problem. What do I say to her?”

Spencer slid behind Derek to hug him. They took turns leaning on one another for support and Derek relaxed against his boyfriend with a sigh.

“I miss knitting with her.” Spencer rested his chin on Derek’s shoulder and stared at their reflection. He blew out a breath. “I miss everything about her. She helped me program your iPod,” he admitted with a sly smile.

“I knew it was her,” Derek grumbled.

“Who else?” Spencer snorted. “I hate technology. You know that.”

“How are we supposed to try and be friends with her if you can’t even talk to her?” Derek asked.

“I don’t want to be friends with her,” Spencer muttered.

“What if that’s all we can have?” Derek pressed. He knew what Spencer meant—he wanted her, all of her. Derek wanted the same thing so badly that it made him ache sometimes.

“I can talk to her.” Spencer insisted.

“Fine. Say her name.” Derek quirked an eyebrow.

“Sloane,” Spencer announced with an expression of triumph.

Derek just smirked in the mirror. “Not that name. The other one.”

“G-g-garcia,” Spencer stuttered and then he flushed.

“Can you say her first name?” Derek asked gently.

Spencer stiffened against his back. “Derek.” It’s a plea and a warning all at once.

Derek snorted. “God, we’re a pair, aren’t we?” It isn’t really a question and Spencer hums his agreement next to Derek’s ear. “Go on, pretty boy. If you don’t leave the bathroom we’ll be late. Again.”

Spencer’s eyes darkened and he gave Derek a predatory look in the mirror, but instead of saying anything he smacked Derek on the ass and sauntered out of the bathroom. Derek just shook his head and finished brushing his teeth. No one would ever believe half the things that Spencer said and did when they were alone because Spencer never behaved that way in public. He smiled smugly at the mirror.

 

* * *

 

 

The BAU was quiet, but Penelope didn’t mind. It allowed her to get things done and finish settling in. She was working on a program that she had used extensively in Europe. It just needed a bit of tweaking and it would work for the BAU as well. She frowned at her screen and tapped a pen against her lips. So far, their move hadn’t affected Peregrine too badly. He liked living in their townhouse, and he like the local parks. He did miss Rose, his nanny, but Penelope couldn’t ask the woman to give up her entire life, move to a completely different country, and all the rest of it just to make Peregrine’s life easier.

“Sloane?” Rossi popped his head into the office and gave Penelope a warm smile. “They’re starting the briefing.”

“I’ll be right there,” Penelope replied absently.

A quick tap of her keys and her program was saved. She stood up and grabbed a tablet and a stylus and clicked her way down the hall to the briefing room. There were one or two perks of having a disgustingly wealthy family. Beautiful shoes were her one vice. Okay, fine, and good chocolate. Shoes and good chocolate were her two vices. Two wasn’t that bad. Her brother Ulysses had an addiction to hand-tailored suits that was unhealthy.

No one looked up as she entered and she took a seat next to Hotch who gave her a small nod. She tried to pay attention and avoid the screen at the same time. She glanced up at the screen accidentally and blanched. It never got any easier. You’d think that she would be immune to it all by now, but... not so much. She was trying to focus on what JJ was saying when someone knocked on the door.

“Excuse me; I’ve been trying to get ahold of Technical Analyst Sloane.” The agent looked around the table expectantly.

“That’s me.” Penelope raised her hand slightly.

“Rebecca Forster sent me--,” the agent began to speak, but Penelope shot up out of her seat.

“Peregrine!” She cried.

“I was told to say that he was fine, but he fell and hit his head on a table,” the agent tried again.

Penelope kicked her heels off and ran. People often looked at the curves and assumed that somehow that meant that Penelope didn’t work out. She couldn’t possibly and still be round, right? If she was fat it must be because she just sat at her computer all day and scarfed junk food. She ignored the looks of surprise as she raced toward the daycare center. Once she arrived her eyes moved, tracking frantically until she spotted her son.

“Peregrine!”

“Mummy!”

Penelope dropped to her knees and held her arms open. Peregrine catapulted into her arms and clung to her like a koala. Penelope pulled back and examined Peregrine’s forehead carefully. There was a small red bump above his right eye. She kissed it and hugged him again.

“Are okay, my prince?” Penelope asked.

“I’m fine Mummy,” Peregrine promised.

“He truly was fine,” Ms. Forster offered. She gave Penelope a slight smile. “It’s standard procedure to alert a parent any time anything happens.”

“Thank you,” Penelope murmured before she pressed another kiss to her son’s forehead.

“Is everything all right?” Rossi asked in a slightly out-of-breath voice.

Penelope turned her head and blinked. Her entire team was standing there staring at her. Well... at Peregrine really. She cuddled him closer.

“He’s fine.” She looked down at her son and smoothed his curls off of his forehead. “Peregrine, this is the team that Mummy assists. Everybody this is William Peregrine Sloane.”

A strange look crossed Reid’s face. “You named your son Billy Pilgrim?” He blurted out and then blushed brilliantly.

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Not exactly.” She looked down at her son. “His father did.”

“My name is not Billy,” Peregrine contradicted. He frowned at Reid. “It’s Peregrine. Sometimes Mummy calls me Per.” “Billy can be a nickname for William sweetheart,” Penelope explained.

“Oh.” Peregrine looked up at his mother. “Can I go back now? They’re about to start painting.”

Penelope sighed and released her son. “Go. Paint me something amazing. My office here is practically naked.”

“Okay Mummy.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Come for me at tea time?”

“Of course,” Penelope agreed. She watched her son go back in with Rebecca Forster and then turned to face her team.

 

* * *

 

 

Penelope had a son. _A son_. Derek’s chest felt like it was collapsing on him. He was struggling to breathe properly and not even Spencer’s hand on his back was helping. The fact that the little boy with his funny, posh-sounding accent looked exactly how he had always pictured any babies of his and Penelope’s would look only made it worse. There was a strange mix of jealousy and heartbreak swirling in his chest. He couldn’t even focus on the halting explanation that Penelope was giving them.

Whoever he was, the bastard that had stolen Penelope from them and gotten her pregnant, Derek hoped he knew how lucky he was. The man that woke up to her bright eyes ever morning and went to sleep with her warm curves pressed against him. The man who had helped create the beautiful little boy that was waving to Penelope from his place at a sturdy, kid-friendly easel. Derek hated him already.


	5. Puzzling Things Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid tries to piece together Penelope's personal life. Plans are made for Peregrine's schooling. Assassins don't make good nannies.

Something was bothering Spencer, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Some piece of trivia was niggling at him, but every time he tried to follow it the thought would disappear like a piece of ephemera. He pressed his lips together and stared at the ceiling. It was something that she had said. Well, several little pieces that somehow fit together. He sat up with a shout.

“She’s not married!” He cried.

Derek came out of the bathroom bare-chested with a towel thrown over one shoulder and a razor in the other hand. “What?”

Spencer took a brief second to admire Derek’s chest, but then he blinked and looked up at his boyfriend’s face. “She said she was part-time, that she couldn’t travel or stay late. If she had a husband at home he could stay with… with Peregrine, right?”

Derek tilted his head to the side as he considered Spencer’s words. “So… you think that she’s not married?”

Spencer nodded. “I think it’s a very good possibility.”

Derek smiled at Spencer and shook his head. “I hope you’re right, pretty boy. I’m going to finish shaving. If you have any other flashes of genius let me know.”

“I will,” Spencer replied absently.

If she weren’t married… Spencer’s brain couldn’t really go beyond that point. She had already made it perfectly clear how she felt about him as relationship material. He frowned. Well, not exactly as relationship material. She just wouldn’t have sex with him. Spencer worried at his lower lip with his teeth. According to the sociology books that he’d read last summer there were a variety of relationships that one could enter into that did not involve a sexual component. Years ago, Spencer had tried to suggest that if Derek wanted to date her that he would understand. It was the one and only time that Derek had gotten angry with him.

_“Do you, or do you not love Penelope?” Derek had demanded with a furious glint in his eyes._

_“I-I-I do,” Spencer admitted._

_“And you want her, right? When she giggles in your ear and calls you her darling doctor she makes you harder than a rock, right?” Derek had crossed his arms across his chest and glared._

_Spencer had flushed. “Yes,” he admitted._

_“So you honestly think that I would date her—that I would take her home and make love to her—knowing that you can’t?” The hurt in Derek’s eyes had punched Spencer in the gut. “You believe that I would do that to you? That I could?”_

_“No.” Spencer’s voice had cracked. “You would never do that,” he had replied in a voice thick with tears. “But Derek—“_

_“Spencer, we’ll figure it out,” Derek had cut in with a fierce look._

Spencer sighed. How could they ‘figure it out’ when she had made it clear that she would never, ever be sexually attracted to him? He rubbed at his temple and scowled at his knees.

 

* * *

 

 

Whoever had filled in for Penelope last week when the team had had to go to California was going to die. They had moved around several of her things, and if she didn’t know better she’d suspect that they randomly unplugged things and then plugged them back into a different power strip. She had crawled underneath her table to fix everything, and was currently wedged into a tight corner and cursing the person responsible.

“When I find out who did this,” she growled under her breath. “They are going to be so, so sorry.”

“Sloane?” Reid called out.

Startled Penelope shrieked and knocked her head against the bottom of the table. She managed to hit the part of the table where the metal strut was bolted on, and Penelope worried that she’d broken through the skin.

“Ow,” she cried.

“Penelope?” Reid dropped to his knees and peered under the table at her.

Penelope froze under the table and stared back at him. Reid hadn’t called her by her first name since she’d returned—not even once. Worry shone in his soft brown eyes.

“Are you hurt?” He asked gently.

“I’m not sure,” Penelope replied in a small voice. “I think I may have cut my scalp.”

“Give me your hand,” he commanded, and Penelope who was slightly stunned did just as he asked.

Reid helped pull her out from underneath the table and then peered at the top of her head. The feel of his fingers tracing over her scalp, delicately probing the tender area, made her shiver. His hands came down and cupped her shoulders and the warmth of his palms on her shoulders sent a shudder down her spine.

“Penelope?” Worry was back in his eyes and he peered carefully into her eyes. “Are you all right?” He frowned at her. “Your pupils don’t appear to be dilated.”

“I’m fine,” she swore fervently. She looked up at him and fought the flush that wanted to rise to her cheeks.

“Hmm. The skin doesn’t appear to be broken, but you’re developing a tremendous goose egg. We’ll have to watch you to make sure you haven’t got a concussion. Come on.” He held out a hand to her.

“What? A concussion?” Penelope tried to raise her hand to her head, but Reid caught her hand in his. The feel of his skin against hers made her hair stand on end. She felt electrified just from the touch of his fingers. “Where are we going?”

“We have to tell Derek,” Reid explained.

Penelope frowned. “Shouldn’t we tell Hotch first?”

“We’ll tell Derek and we’ll tell Hotch,” Reid compromised. “Look, they’re both right there.”

Standing in the bullpen Hotch and Morgan were both talking to JJ and Reid made his way toward them dragging a protesting Penelope behind him. She tried to pry his fingers off of her wrist, but his grip was surprisingly strong. She could feel that traitorous flush rising to her cheeks again as she thought about Spencer’s, no Reid’s, muscles. He was slender, but she’d bet that under that button down and sweater vest that he had compact muscles. Maybe not a firmly delineated chest and abs like De—Morgan, but just enough to make her fingers itch to stroke his skin.

“Penelope?” Morgan’s worried voice filtered into her fantasy and Penelope blinked and focused on the circle of worried faces peering at her in concern.

“Oh!” She pressed her hands to her flaming cheeks. “What did you say?”

“Do you think she’s concussed?” Hotch asked worriedly.

“No, I’m fine,” Penelope tried to argue.

“Perhaps you should go home, Penelope,” Hotch suggested. He frowned at her. “The last thing we want is for you to be hurt.”

“She can’t drive herself,” Reid protested. “If she is concussed then she could get in an accident.”

“I’m fine!” Penelope tried again.

“Perhaps you should just stay here,” JJ suggested.

“We don’t actually have a case at the moment and we can all check on you in half-hour intervals.”

“Yes,” Penelope agreed immediately. She turned to Hotch and looked up at him beseechingly. “Please sir,” she begged.

“Fine,” Hotch decided. He nodded. “I would feel better if you were here where we could all keep an eye on you.”

“Thank you sir,” Penelope murmured. She turned and fled back to her office.

“You’re not going to crawl back under there are you?” JJ demanded.

Penelope turned to stare at her in surprise. “What?”

“You already hurt yourself once,” she pointed out. She frowned at Penelope. “What were you doing under there anyway?”

Penelope frowned back at her. “Whoever filled in for me on the California case was an idiot. They messed around with my systems, which a) is just rude—you don’t do that to somebody else’s stuff, and b) was utterly pointless because they certainly didn’t fix anything.”

“Oh.” JJ glanced around her office. “Still, it’s probably not a good idea for you to go back under there.”

“I have to fix it, or I won’t be able to do anything,” Penelope explained.

JJ sighed. “Tell me what to do,” she told Penelope. She dropped to her hands and knees and crawled under the table.

Penelope told her exactly which cords to unplug, and then plug back into different power strips. JJ then helped her move her equipment so that it was exactly the way she wanted it.

“There,” JJ said with triumph. She turned to Penelope. “I think it’s been a half hour. Look at me. How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Four,” Penelope replied drily. “Are my pupils dilated?”

“Nope, you look fine.” JJ shrugged. “We still have to keep an eye on you though.” She smiled fondly at Penelope. “We’re all so happy that you’re back, Penelope. We’re not about to let anything happen to you.”

“Thank you JJ,” Penelope said with a soft smile.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’ve looked over all of the local day schools,” Rutherford announced.

“And?” Penelope watched Peregrine playing with his toys in the backyard.

“I think the best choice for you and for Per would be the Wharton Academy. I’ve already started the process, but you and Per should take a tour and make sure it will work for you,” Rutherford explained. He handed over a handful of brochures.

Penelope just quirked a brow at her brother. “Why this one?”

“Aside from the fact that it’s only five miles from your house?” Rutherford countered.

Penelope grinned at him. “Well that’s definitely a point in your favor. You did such a great job with Beeton’s. I’m sure that Wharton Academy will be fine as well. Can you arrange for Per and I to tour this week?”

“I believe so.” Rutherford pulled out his phone and started going through his schedule. “Thursday?”

“Thursday’s fine,” Penelope agreed.

“Uncle Ford,” Peregrine called excitedly. “Look at this!”

“That looks great,” Uncle Ford replied with more enthusiasm than Penelope would have ever given him credit for before she’d gotten Peregrine.

Silently, Penelope picked up their tea things and headed to the kitchen. Peregrine didn’t get to spend a lot of time with his uncles, and Penelope always liked to make sure that what time they did have was uninterrupted. She filled the sink with hot, soapy water and pulled out the dish drainer from below the sink. The tea things had belonged to her Nana, and they weren’t dishwasher safe.

Washing dishes was soothing for Penelope. She could let her hands work and her mind drift. Unfortunately, lately when her mind drifted it drifted to Reid’s slender, capable fingers against her skin, or Morgan’s warm smiles whenever he saw her. Penelope was a smile connoisseur, and she could always tell if a smile was true or false. Morgan’s were true smiles that went all the way to his eyes. The way his dark eyes would turn warm and glint at her always made her heart race just a bit. She sighed. There really was not point in moping over them.

“Pen? Are you all right?” Rutherford asked.

Penelope turned to see him watching her with concern. “I’m fine, Ford. Why do you ask?”

“You looked so sad,” he told her with a frown. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I know I haven’t been there for you the way I should have done, but if you need anything Pen. _Anything_. Let me know.”

“I will Ford,” she assured him.

He gave her another worried glance and patted her shoulder. “If you’re sure that you’re fine.”

“I am.” She leaned over and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

 

The Fates were obviously conspiring against Penelope. Wharton Academy was everything that she had wanted for Peregrine and it lived up to the requests that Winthrop had made of her. The prestigious day school’s schedule was from 8:00 to 4:00. Peregrine had piano lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4:30 to 5:30. On Saturdays he had soccer practice. His schedule demanded a lot of her time. She had assumed that she would have to hire a nanny and she hadn’t been looking forward to it. It had taken her ages to find Rose, and she had come highly recommended by several people she worked with at Interpol. Where was a Rose when you needed one?

After several long interviews with various agencies Penelope was ready to give up. It wasn’t that they weren’t perfectly splendid nannies, but Penelope wanted that ‘click’ that told her that a nanny was going to be perfect for her and for Peregrine; someone who could understand the type of hectic schedule that she would have once she was full-time, and wouldn’t mind working erratic hours. She knew that was a lot to ask of anybody, but she made sure to pay her nanny double the going rate. It was Sloane money anyway, it might as well go toward something useful, and there was nothing more important to her than Peregrine’s safety and well-being.

“I give up,” Penelope said into the phone without any greeting or preamble.

“Does that mean you’re coming back to us,” Maggie Pritchard asked curiously.

“No,” Penelope sighed. “You gave me such a good recommendation for Rose. You wouldn’t happen to know of any nannies that would like to come to the States for a few years, would you?”

“Nannies that want to work in the States?” Maggie laughed. “I don’t know. Let me ask around and I’ll call you back.”

“I want someone like Rose,” Penelope stressed firmly. “Don’t you dare send me some trained assassin that’s meant to be a bodyguard for Peregrine that teaches him how to garrote someone with dental floss.”

“I would never,” Maggie tried to protest.

“Save it for someone who’ll believe you,” Penelope shot back.

Maggie laughed again. “God I miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” Penelope admitted. “Find me a nanny?”

“I’m on it, love,” Maggie promised.

“Thank you. I owe you.” Penelope hung up with a smile.


	6. Bad Examples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope finds a nanny on her doorstep. Morgan and Reid are unhappy about their latest case. In a moment of weakness, Penelope reveals more about her past than she meant to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the things I like about shows like this is that they show that *anyone* can commit crimes. Rich, poor, man, woman, gay, straight, etc. Whether or not someone kills has nothing to do with gender, class, sexuality, etc. So it only seems fair that there might be a killer triad out there, somewhere. I am not trying to disparage or stereotype polyamory in any way. I'm only trying to show that any group can have someone who has the potential/capability to be a killer.

A sharp knock on the front door brought Penelope running. She pulled open the door with a smile and froze. An unfamiliar man was standing on her doorstep. He was tall, handsome, and he was smiling at her politely.

“Can I help you?” She asked slowly. She was always slightly leery of unkown, handsome men who stood on her doorstep. It brought back unpleasant memories.

“Malcolm Peabody,” he told her in a crisp accent. He held out his hand. “Mrs. Pritchard sent me.”

“I just spoke to her last week,” Penelope exclaimed.

“Mrs. Pritchard moves quickly when the mood strikes,” Malcolm retorted with a smile.

“I… yes she does. Hold on, will you?” Penelope asked. When Malcolm nodded she shut the door in his face and pulled out her phone. She punched numbers quickly and held the phone to her ear. “Maggie?”

“Pen?” Maggie sounded surprised.

“There’s a man named Malcolm Peabody on my doorstep,” Penelope hissed into the phone. “Why is there a man named Malcolm Peabody on my doorstep?”

“You said you wanted a nanny,” Maggie replied.

“But… he’s a… he’s an assassin, isn’t he?” Pen demanded.

“Of course not,” Maggie insisted. “You said you didn’t want little Peregrine learning how to garrote people with dental floss before his 10th birthday.”

“Ever. Maggie. I don’t want Peregrine to know any of that _ever_ ,” Penelope snapped into her phone.

“Well, then you picked the wrong friends,” Maggie told her.

“I didn’t pick any of you,” Penelope sniffed. “Clyde assigned me to you.”

“Same difference,” Maggie laughed. She paused. “Malcolm’s good people, Penelope, I promise. I would never send anyone to you that I didn’t trust.”

“Fine. You promise that he’s not an assassin,” Penelope demanded.

Maggie sighed heavily. “I promise that Malcolm Peabody is not an assassin. Happy now?”

“Thrilled.” Penelope paused. “Thank you, Mags.”

“You’re welcome,” Maggie replied.

Penelope hung up and opened her front door. Malcolm tilted his head to the side.

“Did I pass?” He asked curiously.

“Sorry about that,” Penelope muttered. She could feel her cheeks heat up.

Malcolm shrugged. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from anyone who knows Mrs. Pritchard.” He gestured toward the house. “May I come in?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. Come in, please,” Penelope moved to the side and let him enter.They sat down in the living room and Penelope twisted her hands in her lap. “So… have you been a nanny long?”

“Not exactly,” Malcolm temporized. He paused and sighed. “I was in another line of work, but I got injured. Mrs. Pritchard… Maggie and I were old school chums and she helped me get some work to tide me over until my insurance managed to straighten everything out.” He gave a small chuckle. “Oddly enough, I found that actually like children.”

“Another line of work?” Penelope narrowed her gaze suspiciously. “You weren’t an assassin were you?”

Malcolm burst out laughing. “An assassin?” He wheezed at her before he burst out in another round of laughter. He eventually caught his breath. “I’m sorry. No. I wasn’t an assassin.”

Penelope flushed. “I’m sorry, but with Maggie one can never be too careful.”

“Truer words,” Malcolm agreed.

 

* * *

 

 

Once Penelope had completed her own personal background check on Malcolm Peabody she was willing to let him have a trial run. Everything that she could find on Malcolm Peabody matched his story—he had gone to school with Margaret Lawson, he had been a bodyguard and had been injured on the job, he had also been a nanny for the Eversham family. Penelope suppressed an eye roll. Trust Maggie to decide that Peregrine should have an ex-bodyguard as his nanny. Penelope looked up the going rate for a bodyguard and smirked to herself. Rutherford just might have a coronary when he received the paperwork for Peregrine’s new nanny.

“Sloane, your paperwork has been processed and accepted. You’re back to full-time and you’ve been cleared to travel.” Hotch looked up from his paperwork and gave one of his rare, brief smiles.

“Thank you sir.” Penelope shifted in front of his desk. She always felt like a naughty schoolgirl whenever she was called into his office. “Was that everything sir?”

Hotch nodded. “For now. Just make sure you have a go bag ready, and make sure that you have someone to take care of Peregrine.”

Penelope nodded. “Yes sir. Malcolm will understand.”

“Malcolm?” Hotch’s eyebrows rose and he stared at Penelope, but she was frowning to herself and punching buttons on her phone.

“Yes,” she replied absently. “He’s used to that sort of thing.”

“Ah.” Hotch wasn’t sure what to say so he didn’t say anything.

“May I go sir?” Penelope looked up at him.

“Of course. Thank you, Sloane.” He turned back to the files on his desk in a clear dismissal.

 

* * *

 

 

“What are you doing?” Derek didn’t mean to sound quite so sharp, but he couldn’t help himself when Penelope walked onto the jet with a bag over one shoulder.

She blinked at him. “Hotch told me I was coming along on this one,” she replied slowly. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No,” Derek protested. “No, not at all. I was just surprised. What about Peregrine?”

“He’s with Malcolm,” Penelope explained.

“Malcolm?” Derek winced at the harshness in his tone.

Penelope frowned at him. “Yes, Malcolm. Peregrine’s nanny.”

The relief that flooded Derek was almost ridiculous. Malcolm was Peregrine’s _nanny_. He was not Penelope’s boyfriend, or lover, or fiancé, or anything else guaranteed to make his stomach knot unpleasantly.

“Oh. That’s great,” Derek mumbled and fled to the far side of the jet where Spencer was talking earnestly to Rossi.

It was the worst possible case at the worst possible time. Derek wanted to smack around the people involved and then shake them and ask if they were trying to ruin his life. The case involved a murderous triad. Great. Just great. Thank you, unsubs. Could there possibly be a worse example of a polyamorous relationship? He didn’t think so.

“Did you know that the Lacedaemonians and the Spartans both practiced polyandry,” Spencer recited to Penelope.

She blinked and looked up from her computer. “Actually, I did,” she replied. She frowned. “Why?”

Spencer flushed. “Um, well, I’m just trying to offer perspective.”

Penelope stared at him for a moment. “For who?”

“For you,” Spencer explained. “So that you don’t think that just because someone happens to have more than one sexual partner that there’s something wrong with that. Because there isn’t. Anything wrong with that, I mean. Did you know that polyandry is most commonly found in egalitarian societies?”

“Reid… the unsubs are two women and a man. Shouldn’t you be telling me facts about polygyny?” Penelope asked curiously. She was watching with an expression of concern and Spencer could feel his cheeks flush.

“Oh.” Spencer swallowed. “Right. Well, of course there are the biblical—“

The computer made a soft beeping noise, and Penelope turned her attention back to the computer. “Oh no,” she whispered.

“Are those the missing persons that Hotch asked you to search for?” Spencer asked cautiously.

Penelope nodded her fingers already quickly typing—sending the information to the team.

“We’d better go find Hotch,” Derek suggested. He paused next to Spencer. “Are you going to be okay, Penelope?”

“Eventually,” she muttered. She closed her eyes, sighed, and then gave each of them a bright smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You two go help catch the bad guys. I’m going to watch the zoo-cam for that new baby panda for a bit. Tell Hotch I’m still running the other search requests. I’ll let you guys know as soon as I have anything.”

“Okay.” Derek hovered for a second debating with himself about whether or not it was okay to touch her—to pat her shoulder like he would do to anyone—but eventually Spencer nudged him toward the door.

 

* * *

 

 

“So are you seeing both of them or something?” One of the police techs asked curiously.

Penelope looked up from the programs she was running and frowned. “What?”

“The gorgeous guy and the walking encyclopedia,” the tech clarified. “Morgan and Reid? They’ve come to check on you, like, eight times or something.”

“What?” Penelope knew she sounded like an idiot, but she couldn’t think of anything more intelligent to say. On the tail of that was the urge to defend Reid who was every bit as pretty as Morgan was gorgeous.

“I don’t care or anything.” The tech glanced around the small room that they were working in. “If you are, good for you,” she added.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong,” Penelope protested. “I usually don’t travel with the team. They’re just making sure that I’m all right.”

“Then how come it’s just the two of them? Why doesn’t anyone else from your team come and check on you?” The tech asked.

Penelope frowned. “You’re wrong.”

The tech shrugged. “It’s no skin off my nose. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t kick either one of them out of my bed.”

A dull flush crept up Penelope’s cheeks as her active imagination provided pictures to go with the tech’s words. Morgan and Reid in her bed. _Naked_. Morgan with his wicked grin and Reid with his softer, shyer smile. Her brain short-circuited at the thought.

“Baby Girl!” Morgan called.

That got Penelope’s attention. She jumped in her seat and turned to stare at him. He hadn’t called her by any of her pet names since she’d returned, and she hadn’t called him by any of his, either.

“What?” She frowned up at him.

“Are you okay?” Morgan asked with a worried look in his dark eyes.

“I’m fine,” Penelope protested. “What did you need?”

“We’re going to grab something to eat. Did you want to come with us?” Morgan explained.

Penelope knew that the tech was watching all of this and she wished the floor would open up and swallow her. It was going to be impossible for her to convince the other woman that she wasn’t dating Morgan and Reid now. Really, the whole idea was completely laughable. As if either man would ever look twice in her direction!

“No, I’m working on some programs. I can’t leave right now,” Penelope replied as coolly, and as professionally as she could. She absolutely refused to look at the tech.

Morgan frowned. “You have to eat something. Do you want us to bring you something?”

Penelope stiffened her resolve. “Yeah, that’s fine,” she agreed quickly. “Just bring me whatever.”

“Okay.” Morgan frowned at her again before he left.

“Still want to tell me you aren’t dating them?” The tech asked archly as soon as Morgan left the room.

Penelope rolled her eyes and turned to face the tech. “I am not dating either one of them.”

The tech shook her head. “If you say so.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

On the way home Penelope sat down next to JJ and pulled out her phone. It was late afternoon. Peregrine was probably home. After the last few days she really needed to hear his voice. She was so exhausted that she was almost loopy, but she wanted to talk to her son before she fell asleep.

“Hallo Mutter,” Peregrine chirped in her ear.

Penelope grinned. “Ich sehe, dass Sie üben Ihr Deutsch werden,” she replied. She remembered her own language lessons at that age, and continued in German. “Are you practicing with Malcolm?”

“Ja,” Peregrine replied. Then he giggled. “Malcolm only knows German. I haven’t been able to practice my French or my Mandarin.”

“Well, I can take care of the French, and we can always call Aunt Susan to help you with Mandarin,” Penelope reminded him. “Ich liebe dich, mein kleiner Prinz.”

When she got off the phone she realized that JJ was staring at her. “What?” Penelope asked with a frown.

“You speak German?” JJ appeared to be surprised.

Penelope made a face. “Not very well. I know enough to ask for the bathroom and order chocolate. That’s about it.”

JJ frowned. “And you speak French, too.”

“Yes,” Penelope agreed. “My French is much better.”

“How did you learn French and German, but you don’t know Spanish?” JJ asked with frank curiosity.

Penelope was so tired that the normal filters that automatically guarded anything about her private life slipped. “My nanny was French,” Penelope sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “I took German in school. Mom didn’t leave Father and marry Javier until I was 14.”

“Your nanny?” JJ’s voice rose slightly drawing attention from the jet’s other passengers.

Penelope hummed agreement and snuggled deeper into her chair. “She was wonderful. She taught me how to make madeleines.”

“You had a nanny?” Reid’s voice sounded closer than it ought to and Penelope opened her eyes to find him sitting across from her.

“Of course I did.” She frowned at him. “Weren’t you sitting with Hotch?”

“I was,” Reid agreed. “But I find this conversation interesting.”

Penelope snorted. “Emily had a nanny as well. Did you grill her about it?”

“Emily had a nanny?” JJ appeared to be surprised.

“Of course. Her mother was an Ambassador,” Penelope explained in a sleepy voice. “That kind of schedule practically guarantees that she had a nanny. I would bet that’s one of the reasons she’s fluent in so many languages.”

“Why did you have a nanny?” Reid pressed.

Penelope made a soft sighing noise. “Expected,” she mumbled finally.

“Expected?” Reid jumped on that word. He leaned closer to Penelope. “Why was it expected? Penelope? Penelope?”

“Appearances,” Penelope sighed. She batted at Reid. “Go ‘way. Sleep now.”

“I’ll let you sleep,” Reid agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that in many episodes of Criminal Minds they show old 8mm film of a very young Penelope in San Francisco, and they mention that her parents are hippies. But there's also old footage of her in ballet. The strict regimentation of ballet and the easy-going lifestyle of hippies would seem to clash, or at least to me they would. It never really covers the stepdad and when/how/why he came into the picture. It also never really explains anything about her brothers except that she's got them. 
> 
> So I hope this isn't confusing people. This is an AU. Perhaps Penelope's mom and stepdad were hippies, but her biological father was not.


End file.
